Comparative examine of fluid pressure within microchannel through integrated cantilevers for microfluidic applications

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the concept of a microfluidic pressure sensing mechanism across a microchannel, integrated with different structures of microcantilevers. Various structures of microcantilevers are integrated into a microchannel where laminar fluid flows and the microcantilever senses the fluid velocity and pressure. The different structures of the microcantilever include rectangular, T-shaped, and Pi-shaped designs, which are placed at the centre of the microchannel. The 2D microchannel has a length of 4000 μm and a height of 840 μm, while the microcantilever is positioned at a distance of 2000 μm from the inlet of the microchannel. The analysis of the fluid sensor is observed by plotting graphs of velocity, pressure, displacement of the microcantilever, Reynolds number, and friction factor with respect to the time domain. An inlet velocity of 8.33 µm/s is applied at the microchannel, and the fluidic sensor shows a significant change in the fluid characteristics, comparing them across all types of microcantilevers. The simulation results show that the T-microcantilever has a maximum displacement of 4.97 µm compared to other microcantilevers, with a maximum pressure of 1.58 Pa for the Pi-cantilever. The integrated device is suitable for healthcare applications, measuring fluid pressure in syringes, where the T-microcantilever proves to be more compatible than the other two microcantilevers (R-cantilever and Pi-cantilever). The design and simulation of the microfluidic pressure sensing process are conducted using the FEM tool COMSOL Multiphysics.